China imports break two-year losing streak in August

China's imports rose 1.5 percent year-on-year in August, figures showed Thursday, the first increase in nearly two years, in a positive sign for the world's second-largest economy. Exports dropped 2.8 percent on-year to $190.6 billion, a smaller fall than the median forecast in a survey of economists by Bloomberg News. China is crucial to the global economy and its performance affects partners from Australia to Zambia, which have been battered by its slowing growth.